St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series starred Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd and William Daniels as teaching doctors at a lightly-regarded Boston hospital who gave interns a promising future in making critical medical and life decisions. The series was produced by MTM Enterprises, which had success with a similar NBC series, the police drama Hill Street Blues, during that same time; both series were often compared to each other for their use of ensemble casts and overlapping serialized storylines. St. Elsewhere was filmed at CBS/MTM Studios, which was known as CBS/Fox Studios when the show began; coincidentally, 20th Century Fox wound up acquiring the rights to the series when it bought MTM Enterprises in the 1990s.
Known for its combination of gritty, realistic drama and moments of black comedy, St. Elsewhere gained a small yet loyal following over its 6-season, 137-episode run; the series also found a strong audience in Nielsen's 18-49 age demographic, a young demo later known for a young, affluent audience that TV advertisers are eager to reach. The series also earned critical acclaim during its run, earning 13 Emmy Awards for its writing, acting, and directing. St. Elsewhere was ranked #20 on TV Guide's 2002 list of "The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.", with the magazine also selecting it as the best drama series of the 1980s in a 1993 issue.
In season 2, A doctor tells a story about his dog being hit by a car and killed.
S5E17 a dog with cancer is shown being euthanized.
In season 6 a doctor recounts a story of throwing a rock at a dog as a child possibly killing it.
Early in season 1 animals, including dogs, are briefly shown in cages in an animal research lab. A lab mouse is placed in a pneumatic tube capsule as a gag. In season 6 a doctor recounts a story of throwing a rock at a dog as a child possibly killing it. In season 6 a calf and sheep are implanted with artificial hearts. Both die.
A freak accident kills a pigeon (off screen). It’s body is later shown. In season 6, a calf dies and later a sheep dies as a result of an experimental medical procedure.
A patient has a stuffed dog in season 1.
A dead gerbil in season 3.
A dead pigeon in season 4.
A dead dog in season 5.
A dead calf in season 6.
A dead sheep in season 6.
A doctor is called the “r” word by a cantankerous nurse. An autistic child is referred to by the “r” word. Ableist jokes are sometimes used to highlight the bigotry of the characters telling them.
S1E14,15 the n word and other slurs are used. N word is used in season 4 in a flashback scene. In S5E7 a patient with Tourette’s uses the n word several times.
When racial violence occurs in S1E14,15 various slurs including the n word are used. Lots of outdated racial terms are used. Lots of racism toward patients and colleagues. Racism is often played straight to highlight bigotry rather than condone it.
There’s a couple jokes about shock therapy. In a later episode it is mentioned that the hospital doesn't do that anymore. In season 6 an autistic child is given shock therapy.
In the original ending credits of the final episode, the MTM mascot Mimsie is shown laying still while an EKG flatlines. This scene was only shown during the original broadcasts and is not shown on syndicated runs, including Hulu.
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S5E17 a dog with cancer is shown being euthanized.
In season 6 a doctor recounts a story of throwing a rock at a dog as a child possibly killing it.